Can seaming machine



Feb. 6, 1951 R. A. FAWCETT EIAL 2,540,611

CAN SEAMING MACHINE Filed March 4, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR$ 1 404 4 im m BY M. %%MM*M ATTORNEYS Feb. 6, 1951 R. A. FAWCETT T AL CAN SEAMING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 4, 1949 INVENTORS 1am a amused BY 415 41-2241. 2 4 244mm ms A'ITORNEYS Patented Feb. 6, 1951 ran TA'liEiS ssrsnr 'fDEFF-JCL E poration fApplioat-ionMarch 4, 1949, Serial=-No.79,554

(Cl.s113--24) .l3 eclaims.

:This :invention relates :to aha-chines for :seamiinga .top orbottcmcover-with aacurled ed-ge, -on the rfianged end of: a 'cam=body,-..and is coneer-ned -'more:partieularly:with a machine of Ethe-type-de- :scribed, whichincludesnovel meansicr preventi.ing:difiicultiesnow-encountered-in suchim-achines, when a -;can flood-y without a :cover on the end thereofisracted-on-by the seaming instrumentalities.

:In can :cover seaming 'machines as now com- -monly constructed, :the scan body with a cover in place:at onependsand ;with :the body flange entering :the :cu-rled edge :of :the icover rests upon ea ssupport during the :seaming -.operation and :the mover :is :held in rposition by a i'seaming chuck, which has ::a radial :flange engaging the curled :edge-zfrom within. The seamingatogethersof-the curled edge and thebodyfiangeis sperformedzby :rollers, eachof whichzhas atcircumferential seam- :ing groove and a collar,whichoverliesthe-chuck flange, whenthe #roller is' in'seaming'position and rthe :curled edgeis being acted onrby the wall 'oi :the groove.

In the "operation .:of such a seaming machine, :the :can bodies and -covers are fed automatically sand it sometimeshappenswthat a acanbody withnutra coverin -.'place on its :upper' en'd is: subjected :to:the seamingoperations. When this =occurs,: the neaming rollers-ibendtthe can body flange reverse- :ly so that .it overlies :the :flange'of the seaming :ChllCk and," when'rthe seamin Operation :is com- 'pleted,the ican -tbody L'iSFSECUJI'BdtO the :chuck and :isinot discharged fromthe'machine-in1the'usual way. The machine-musttthen-be stopped and the iflange offlihe can body-:pried loosefromzthe :chuck tfiange. 'Theroperationoftheseamingmeans on a =;can body without a mover in rrplace, accordin ly, znotionly causes :stoppages of zthe machine but, also, if :the {machineisnotsstopped quicklyiit ibecome jammed. V e

The present invent-ionis directed to theprovision ofzmeans for use linea seaming machineof '17118 type described .xfor :preventing aican body,

:doesinotacarry ;a-.-.c0ver from becomin .attached to =,the seaming chuck, when acted 1 on by :theseaming rollers. Such means take the form of-a guard ring mounted to rest upon the chuck flange close to its outer edge and provided with recesses, which the collars of .the seaming rollers enter, when the rollers are moved into seaming position. The ring is attached .to the roller mounting and, when acan .body without a cover linplace'is acted onby the rollers, the flange of the .b.ody.'. is turned in over .the chuck flange by each roller, asheforeybut'ithe .walloif .themecess All :receiving :the collar .of' thearoller'bends back the iturn'ed-in portion 'ofithe body-flange and releases iii, from the chuck flange. Accordingly,:at the end of :the a-seaming operation, the flange of xthe canrihodytwill not overlie the chuck fiange'andthe scan 'hody can be discharged .from the machine without .difiiculty.

For :a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made .to :the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1.is. a verticalsect'ional View through aperition-qof a-seaming machine embodying the invention;

.E'ig. .2.is;a Nertical sectional view-on an enlarged .scalezandonithe linea2-a2 of Fig. 3 of theseamwing means of the machine;

Fig; 3-;is' aibottom plan .viewof "the parts shown in Fig.2;

5Figs.'=4 andr5 are views, :pa-rtly inr-sectionland partly in elevation, showing successivestages of theiaction of :the'seaming-rollers on a'can body from which the coverha's been omitted;

Fig. 6 issa'plan View on the line 6-'6 ofiFig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional Niew on the line IL-"l of The machine illustrated inthedrawings is of the-multiple type, in thati-tiincludes a plurality of assemblies, each consistingro'f a can body support, :a seaming-chuck-seaming rollers, and a can knock-out. The seaming chuck-rollers, and knock-outare-carried bya turret I0,:which is securedto and rotates with-atubular drive shaft .Zll journalled on a stationary hollow vertical "spindle 12. Each assembly comprises an outer -tubulars'h'aft [3 extending through-an opening near the outer edge ofthe turret and rotating in bearings M at the top-and bottom of the opening. 'Near-itslower-endgthe shaft is encircled by a hub which-is keyed to the shaft-and is'bolted to a cam ring I 6 encircling the hub and shaft and having upper and lower circumferential cam surfaces I-"!, I3. At the lower end of the shaft 13, Withinthelhnb [-5, there is an oil seal it held in 5 place by a ring '28 encircling the shaft and sercured thereto-by a setscrew. ;At its-upperend, shaft I3 is encircled by a pinion 2! keyed'thereto ',-and held in ,nlace shy a lock ring 22 threaded ,cn the-shaft. The pin-ion 2 kmeshes with a gear "59 23 encircling and ekeyed to a tubular shaft '26,

=-irzhich encircles shaft l ,l and runs on bearings i 25 resting on the hubof turret l 0. Atits-npper end, shaft .24 carries-a gear .Zfidriven-by means not shown.

.A .hollowshaftil lies withinshaft -:l 3 tandem ries a pinion 28 at its upper end held in place by a lock nut 29 and meshing with a gear 33 secured to a tubular shaft 3| encircling shaft 24. Shaft 3| rests on a bearing 32 lying between the lower end of the shaft and the upper end of the hub of gear 23. Shaft 3| carries a gear 33, by which the shaft is driven by means not shown.

Near its lower end shaft 21 carries a spider, the hub 34 of which is keyed to the shaft. The spider is provided with a plurality of pairs of lugs 35 extending from hub 34 and lying parallel to radii thereof. An arm 36 is pivotally mounted between the lugs of each pair on a pin 31. At its upper end, each arm carries a roller 38 held in contact with one or the other of the cam surfaces l8 by a spring 39 attached at one end of the arm and at the other end to hub 34. At its lower, each arm carries a seaming roller 40.

A tubular spindle 4| extends through shaft 27 and its upper threaded end passes through an opening in a support 42 and is held in place therein by upper and lower lock nuts 43 threaded on the spindle. Support 42 is connected by means, not shown, to turret Hi to rotate therewith. The lower end of spindle 4| extends below the lower end of shaft 21 and is threaded into a seaming chuck 44. The chuck is formed with a relatively thin radial flange 45 and is en circled by a guard ring 46 connected by a key and slot connection to an arm 4?, which is attached to the hub 34 of the spider. Ring 46 is held in place b a lock ring 46 bolted to the chuck.

A knock-out rod 49 extends through the spindle 4| and carries a head so at its lower end. The head has a flange 56a fitting within a recess in the lower face of chuck 44, so that the lower surface of the head may be flush with the bottom surface of the chuck, when rod 49 is in upper position. The rod is encircled near its upper end by a spring lying within an internal recess in spindle 4| and acting on an end section 52 of the rod, which extends out of spindle 4| and carries a roller 53 engaging a stationary cam ring 54 secured to the casing 55 of the machine. End section 52 telescopes over and is secured to the end of the main portion of rod 49 and is splined to spindle 4|, so that it may not rotate relative thereto.

The arms 36 on one side of a diameter of hub 34 of the spider are short and their rollers 38 engage cam surfaces 16, while the arms on the other side of the diameter are long and their rollers engage cam surface Each seaming roller 40 is formed with a curcumferential seaming groove 56, above which the roller has a collar 5'! of substantially greater diameter than the bottom of the groove. The construction of the rollers and arms is such that, when an arm is swung to move its roller toward the chuck, the collar 51 on the roller overlies the radial flange 45 on the chuck. The ring 46 is formed opposite each roller with a recess 46a having a curved inner wall and, when a roller is moved inwardly, so that its collar 51 overlies the radial flange 45 of the chuck, a portion of the collar lies within the recess.

In the assembling of the machine, it is necessary that the chuck be accurately positioned, so that its radial flange will be properly aligned with the grooves 56 of the seaming rollers, and such adjustment of the position of the chuck may be readily made by means of the lock nuts 43. At the same time, the ring 46 must continue to maintain its proper relation to the chuck flange at all times. 46 rests on to mounted on a shown, but rot depends on the hei The can bodies 60 chine are of circu outwardly pro covers 6| hav body flange the end of the In the oper and the tur rotated abo one station, place on its plate. Therea knock-out rod the head 5!! on cover. The has with the knockplace, until the co end of the seaming erations. the spider ously rotating and ing but at a diff cam surfaces IT a plate is rising wit arms are swung so from the edge of t When the can its cover is seate chuck, the head the recess in the edge of the radl against the inner s the cover to su port arms, whose rollers swung inwardly so the curled edge of t flange therein and, a toward the axis of t about that axis, the can body flange enter t roller and are bent and'i of the wall of the groo preliminary seaming o these rollers is completed,- to move the rollers away f 1 other pair of arms are swu v receive" the partially com l plete the interlocking of the can body flange. tions have been compl moved down, as is a i seamed can then mov base'plate and is disch When a can body 62 deposited upon the b is raised, the flange 6 alignment with the out-- 25 on the chuck. which perform the fir moved inwardly, the with the bottom 0 roller causes the top 'edgeof the chu .5 5. If nothing were done to prevent, the turnedin flange 62a of the cam body would be caused to grip the chuck flange somewhat more securely by the subsequent action of the second set of seaming rollers. Thereafter, when the seaming operation was finished, the can body would be held on the chuck and would not move down with the base plate, when the latter was lowered. Whenever this action occurs, the machine must be stopped to remove the can body from the chuck and, if prompt action is not taken, the can body retained on the chuck will cause the machine to become jammed.

In a machine embodying the invention, the ring 46 prevents a can body from becoming attached to its chuck. Thus, as a portion of the flange 62a of the can body is turned in over the edge of the chuck flange, this turned-in portion of the body flange is immediately engaged by the wall of recess 46a in ring 46 and bent outwardly away from the chuck flange. The seaming proceeds, as before,'but, at the conclusion of the seaming operation, the can body 62 is no longer gripped to the chuck and, when the base plate 59 is lowered, the can body follows it and is discharged from the machine in the usual way. The provision of ring 46, accordingly, prevents stoppages and jamming of the machine, because of the supplying thereto of can bodies without covers.

We claim:

1. In a machine for seaming a cover with a curled edge on the flanged end of a can body which comprises a support for the can body with a cover on the upper end thereof, an axially adjustable seaming chuck engageable with the cover and having a radial flange adapted to support the curled edge of the cover from within, a spider coaxial with the chuck, a plurality of arms mounted on the spider for swinging movement into and out of operative position, a roller mounted for rotation oneach arm and having a peripheral seaming groove and a collar at one side of the groove, the groove receiving the curled edge of the cover and the can body flange and the collar overlapping the flange n the chuck when the arm is in operative position, means for rotating the spider and support relatively to one another, and means for swinging the arms successively into and out of operative position, the improvement which comprises a ring mounted upon the chuck flange at its outer edge and having a recess for receiving the portion of the collar of each roller overlapping the chuck flange, means carried by the chuck for holding the ring against axial movement relative to the chuck, and means for connecting the ring to the spider to cause the ring to rotate with the spider, while permitting axial movement of the ring relative to the spider.

2. In a machine for seaming a cover with a curled edge on the flanged end of a can body which comprises a support for the can body with a cover on the upper end thereof, an axially adjustable seaming chuck engageable with the cover and having a radial flange adapted to support the curled edge of the cover from within, a spider coaxial with the chuck, a plurality of arms mounted on the spider for swinging movement into and out of operative position, a roller mounted for rd tation on each arm and having a peripheral seaming groove and a collar at one side of the groove, the groove receiving the curled edge of the cover and the can body flange and the collar overlapping the flange on the chuck when the arm is in operative position, means for rotating the spider relatively to the support, and cam means engaging the arms and causing them to swing as they rotate with the spider, the improvement which comprises a ring mounted upon the chuck flange at its outer edge and having a recess for receiving the portion of the collar of each roller overlapping the chuck flange, means carried by the chuck for holding the ring against axial movement relative to the chuck, while permitting the ring to rotate on the chuck, and means connecting the ring to the spider for rotation therewith, while permitting axial movement of the ring relative to the spider relative to the chuck.

3. In a machine for seaming a cover with a curled edge on the flanged end of a can body which comprises a support for a can body with a cover on the upper end thereof, an axially adjustable seaming chuck engageable with the cover and having a radial flange adapted to support the curled edge of the cover from within, a spider coaxial with the chuck, a plurality of arms each mounted on the spider for swinging movement in a plane through the common axis of the spider and chuck, a roller mounted for rotation on each arm and having a peripheral seaming groove and a collar at one side of the groove, the groove receiving the curled edge of the cover and the can body flange and the collar overlapping the chuck flange when the roller arm is in operative position, and means for rotating the support and spiders relative to one another, the improvement which comprises a ring mounted for rotation on the chuck to encircle the latter, the ring resting on top of the chuck flange and having a recess in its periphery for receiving a portion of the collar of each roller overlapping the chuck flange, a second ring mounted fast on the chuck to overlie the first ring inwardly from the bottom of the recesses therein and holding the first ring against axial movement relative to the chuck, while permitting rotational movement of the first ring, and an arm attached to the spider and entering an axial slot in the periphery of the first ring, said arm causing the first ring to rotate with the spider, while permitting said ring to move axially relative to the spider.

RICHARD A. FAWCETT. ALBERT TROUE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,241,233 Malmquist Sept. 25, 1917 1,819,250 Lange Aug. 18, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 401,842 Germany Jan. 13, 1924 

